


accountability

by kunnskat



Series: OCs Through the Fandoms [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man, Gen, OC!Bestie named James with random nickname, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Self-Insert, Team Tony Stark, The Accords, Tony Stark Defense Squad, which seems to be a superhero thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-19 03:23:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11888922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunnskat/pseuds/kunnskat
Summary: She's not a hero.She's never going to be, but that doesn't mean she can stand there and watch people die.





	accountability

**Author's Note:**

> I have been reading a lot of Tony-fics lately, some of CA: CW, which well, I had many issues with. I am part of the Tony Stark Defense Squad, and I always will be, so I felt compelled to write a thing.

She is born into this life over-powered and she knows it from the very first breath she takes when a calming scent distracts her from wailing. She thinks it might smell like a forest, it's a good smell, but this nose is different. 

Later, she will learn that flowers had sprouted from nothing the very second she'd been born. She spends her first few years after terrifying her parents with how unnatural she and the things that happen around her are. She knows they're wiling to give her up at first chance given, so she makes sure there is none until she's well and ready to go. Because she's over-powered, but the control isn't there yet. She's not ready, yet.

America is different from anything she's ever known, even when she'd last died on this earth. For all she knows, she'll need all the control she can get.

Alright, so maybe it's this earth specifically that's not the same, but a different one. Like another Universe. The multiverse theory probably exists here too, she'll make sure to read up on it. There's internet here, after all, unlimited access to all information she could think of wanting. She'd been born the same time as she had the first time, she still remembers her original birthday, and she knows that she'll have access earlier this time, if only because her first life had been in a country that got technological releases a little later than some.

She's got to learn some hacking though, and get her body used to using computers and what-not. But it's alright, she knows she can do it. She still remembers using technology, it's the hacking that'll take time.

"What are you doing?" it's never her parents that are willing to ask these questions, not since she last attempted to explain a thought she'd had, but her teachers have yet to learn, one always appearing from some hidden corner to stare at her in confusion and question her constantly. 

"I am attempting to learn to type quickly, I will need it in the future," she doesn't mind informing him, it's not like he'll take her seriously even if she does tell him about her ideas of hacking. No one ever does, it's what makes it so easy to live here and now. 

She's going to be sad to see this life go. But at least this time she'll know if that superhero business is separated in most worlds or if they all happen in the same one and at the same time. She's always wondered if it was just wishful thinking from certain people that wrote those fics where everyone gathered together for parties and what not, and some of them always knew a bunch of the others.

Though they always say you shouldn't meet your heroes, so she'd better be careful there. As much as she doesn't want to be disappointed, she's not sure if she would be or not. Are her thoughts about them realistic or has fiction simply given her rose-colored glasses?

She debates the topic with herself until she meets James -- a geek as she remembers they'd called it in her previous life though she's not social enough to know for this one -- who drags out of her thoughts and opinions about heroes in general. It makes her careful to not mention her favorites, because they've yet to exist, here. So far her only excuse is Captain America, and though she's not that big of a fan of Steve Rogers, she does like the image he presents as the hero.

Which is not a thing she admits to James who is a huge fan.

Watching Tony Stark first declare the end of weapons from Stark Industries and then later on that he is Iron Man is incredible. From that moment on, she tells James that Iron Man is her superhero. Her 'one true fave', the one she'll be cheering on from start to end. And when James attempts a debate between Iron Man and his personal favorite, she tells him that she's aware hers has got flaws, but that's fine, because she likes him better that way.

Tony Stark is proof that anyone can be a hero, even a former Merchant of Death. Anyone can change, anyone can be a good person.

Which obviously does not make everyone heroes. It's just that they all have the ability to be one if they try.

She's not a hero. 

She's never going to be, but that doesn't mean she can stand there and watch people die. Saving these people does not make her a hero, just a good Samaritan.

Aliens swoop in and try to kill people and she's right there, she's literally standing in between aliens and several people that will die if she moves. So she doesn't move. Out of the way, that is. When it goes to attack her so that it can after attack them, she makes sure it can't attack them at all.

She's not a hero, she's just trying to make sure people don't die needlessly. 

And she's a little bit weak to children, alright? Can't stand seeing them in pain, makes a part of her ache in a way she still can't understand.

So not jumping the alien suddenly appearing and about to get to a family of three is out, but she's got to be smart about it. Outright jumping on it and attempting to beat it isn't going to win her points other than as a distraction method. And why is she arguing against it again?

She tackles it with a large knife clutched in her right hand, forcing it to the ground in the process with the knife digging into it, and one of the two women scoops up the little girl so they can run to the rest of the civilians. Hah, civilians. She's one of them if she really thinks about it.

Iron Man flies above her and her heart skips a beat when she sees him. Is it time for the nuke now?

Ah, no, probably not quite yet, there's still a few more minutes of surviving. Maybe a little more? How much time had gone between the opening of the portal and the nuke anyway? It can't have been much since there wasn't that many big ones-- or? Was it two that got through or three? 

Fuck, she can't even remember the specifics. She just knows the aliens invaded while the heroes arrived and that they'd held them off while Iron Man flew a nuke into space. Then the aliens died and the portal got closed. Which was interesting since they watched the aliens die before closing it, so were they just not chancing there being any others or were they afraid of what a portal to space could do?

Maybe if she asks, they'll answer, but she'd rather at least try to be anonymous as much as she can, given that she's been fighting off aliens in front of people. It's better to just leave them to tackle Loki on their own when the invasion is as good as over, she knows they'll manage just fine even if she still isn't sure about Loki in general. Whatever, Loki'll live and it's not like she'd do any good changing anything if it turns out she's right about a little theory from her former life.

Somehow, though, it's not the only time she gets involved in Avenger business, or even hero business.

It's not that they track her down and offer her to join or anything, she wouldn't even say yes if they did. It's more that their handler-group-thing-SHIELD or whatever they truly are tracks her down and offers her a job with a mention that she's so good at protecting people, doesn't she want to protect her friends?

It's a warning that she'd best not say no or she might find herself in trouble. It's not really necessary to threaten her, she was going to say yes to SHIELD to begin with, she knows better than to say no to them when she doesn't know how many of them are HYDRA. For all she knows she might disappear if she says no. Saying yes means that they've got her watched and will use her, and thus can't disappear her in front of the part of them that's not HYDRA.

She's been thinking about this on and off for years, now. What she'd do if SHIELD ever came to her. Besides, she's semi-public already. She knows someone saw what she could do. She knows SHIELD -- or HYDRA, really -- will have found out eventually, and that it is better if they think they can use it to control her.

She does make sure to specify that she'll have nothing to do with certain types of missions and that if she catches any hints of it being what she refuses to do, she's out. Even knowing that they'll probably be able to do them without her, that she's not a necessity, just something that simplifies the situation. But there's also some things she volunteers for.

Like Ultron.

Volunteer might be a bit off. It's more that she makes sure to be on shift on the not-SHIELD that had 'fallen' after HYDRA when she knows Ultron is about to be created. Knowledge of Avenger missions helps, even if having it also means she might be a little on their radar. Doesn't matter, though, if she can help. And yes, she knows they can do it without her, but she also knows there are deaths she can prevent if she's just willing to try. If nothing else, one more person helping people might change things just the slightest bit into their favor.

It's a pity JARVIS still has to die, technically, to create Vision, and that Tony'll suffer for it, but she also knows that parts of this has to happen and that if Sokovia doesn't happen, the Accords might take longer. And the Avengers has to see that they need someone looking over their shoulder to make sure that they don't accidentally stray off their path. Which, well, she knows some of them will anyway.

She tries to be there to save the other Maximoff kid but she's a moment too late and she knows it'll haunt her every day from then on. Still, she keeps moving, keeps helping people get to safety.

She didn't know him, what right does she really have to mourn him? And he'd died to save someone, in spirit that means his wishes would be saving more.

It doesn't take much to avoid the Avengers after that.

They want her to sign the Accords. She's done some hero-ing outside of her own country, she's got to sign them if she wants to continue helping like she has been. Doesn't matter if she says she's not a hero, she's different and if she chooses to help out in a country not her own, she's got to be held accountable for the things she does.

And alright, so she does agree with the Accords for the most part, and it's not just because she favors the side that signed them originally, so she's going to. But she's also going to make a point here, while they're all listening to her. And she's going to make sure they're still willing to listen by only implying she's going to sign them, not by signing them and chancing that they'll no longer listen. She's not an important person outside of those few actions of help.

She makes sure not to agree to show up until several others do, so that when there's a group signing and more people watching, she can say what she needs to say to enough people. And when she's the last person left, when she knows she won't keep the other heroes -- not that she is calling herself a hero, she's not -- waiting unless they want to wait, she speaks up. She's got a whole speech or something, they'd best prepare themselves.

It goes well until it gets to the point of what they want her here for, which is the most important part for her, so she leans forward just a bit, to make sure everyone sees her willing to listen and needing to make this point. If they know this is most important to her, they'll try to use it, which means she can use them to fix what shouldn't have been broken in the first place.

"And if we ask you to, will you sign the Accords, or will you refuse it and become an enemy?"

"Yes," she grasps onto what they had unintentionally delivered to her on a silver platter and she knows, alright? She knows she's not genuinely answering the question as they want her to, but she doesn't care. She's got no need to defend herself, she's got nothing left to protect herself for. 

"Yes, of course, I support the decision to make sure everyone's held accountable for their actions, even those stronger in any way, shape or form, but may I remind you that for those who have yet to actually read these accords that is all you've given them. Something to hold over their heads when they make mistakes. And of course they're going to make mistakes, their heads work just like yours. So they'll learn, they'll do better. But where's the carrot? How do you intend to show the worried ones that this is not a chain for specific people to yank on when they happen to feel like it?"

Leaning back, she eyes them with pity more so than anything, no anger and no smugness, nothing they can use against her that she won't gladly take, "--because using a stick is well and good, but if there's no carrot, if there's nothing but a 'go do this' and 'bye' when it's done, then how long do you think they'll honestly last? I wouldn't have taken your shit for more than a month, maybe, if it was me. I can't stand constantly being ordered around because I'm a person, I need more than orders. I need to be appreciated, I need feedback. If all I get told is what to do, I'll eventually assume it's all I'm worth. I might even give up when I make mistakes, because I will make a mistake. I am a person, all people do."

It doesn't matter that the heroes she's thinking of are stubborn and would persevere, that they would fight until they win and not give up. They've got no right to treat him like that. Not these regular people, not other heroes. Her little speech isn't just for these judges attempting to decide what to do with her, it's for everyone watching, for all the people that had picked sides in that awful 'civil war', for the superheroes who'd thought they'd been right when they'd all been wrong.

But it is especially for those who'd attempted to do their best with what they'd been given and had not been thanked for it, only scorned.

It's for Tony Stark who will probably blame himself all the same, but if there is even one thing she can make sure he won't blame himself for, she'll spend what she's got left of this life fighting for it.

"Some of them tried, some of them signed and bowed to your wishes, some of them went against people they cared about for the people who can't defend themselves and you. The question is, did you thank them for doing what they could even if it didn't work out quite like you'd have preferred? Did you remember that they're people just like you, with thoughts and fears and dreams like everyone else?" She knows they hadn't remembered the carrot, Gods know she will never forget. 

She'd always had favorites, she's not ashamed to admit it, and sure some of it might have been out of a persistent like of their actors, but that hadn't made the characters any less incredible. 

She'd also hated the Civil War movie, incredibly so, because Tony hadn't deserved any of that, and yet he'd been the one getting the brunt of it all. The rest of the team hadn't even tried to get him. Not all those that sided with him to begin with fought with him for his reasons, to make sure they're all held accountable for their actions and that if they make mistakes they try to fix them instead of insisting that it just happens.

If you're not part of the solution you're usually part of the problem.

Eventually they agree to carefully consider her words of wisdom -- not in that wording, saying it like that would be admitting they know she's right and they're not ready to do that yet -- and she temporarily signs the regular Accords with a promise that an agreement will be made for an edited one later. She'll have to pick through a copy and send in her own version for them to approve, but it's better than nothing and until then she's held under the same rules as everyone else.

She practically flees the place before anyone can trick her into staying and debating with them, or whatever it is they feel they need. She's got a best friend waiting for her at home to hear all about today's adventure.

"I still can't believe you managed to look them in the eye with a straight face."

"Fair enough, I can't either," she shrugs, despite knowing it won't be seen.

"So does this make you Team Captain America or?" James teases her as she joins him in the kitchen, finally somewhere she can breathe.

Wrinkling her nose immediately at the sound of the first mention, she shakes her head, "Gods, no, I am so far from okay with what happened and while I can't blame them for being scared, personally I just don't agree with Team Cap. The Accords can be fixed, the trust of the world won't be as easy to work on. I'm Team Iron Man for sure."

"Good to hear," the interruption to whatever was about to come from her friend startles them both and she whirls to stare at the owner of the voice, blinking when she realizes who's come visiting. 

"I knocked but no one answered," he continues like he hasn't just overheard her declare she's on his 'Team'.

"...Your timing is completely ridiculous," it's not an attempt to accuse him of anything, she's willing to accept the embarrassment that comes with this. It's just a witty remark to prove she's still capable of thinking straight in front of other heroes. She might be a fan-girl at heart but she's a proper one, alright.

He looks like he might be pleased for half a second, and she supposes it could be viewed as a compliment of a sort so it's not that remarkable, before shrugging, "I got lucky. It happens sometimes."

This is probably where she asks him what the heck he's doing here, especially since he'd said he'd knocked. It has to mean that he meant to visit her. Which is all sorts of confusing, but she's willing to go with it for now, "is this where I offer you coffee or do you not drink that?"

"I definitely drink that."

There's an elbow in her side and a hissed, "what the heck," in her ear as she turns to get Tony Stark his coffee. In return, she kicks her friend and leaves him clutching his shin to the amusement of the intruder. She's not even going to dignify it with an actual reply when all she's got is a need to reply with 'same'.

"How far are you on the Accords?" and there's the reasoning. Good, she can work with that, at least now she knows his interest. She's not expecting anything like what he'll have with Spider-Man, hadn't to begin with, but it's almost a relief to know that what she'd thought would bring his attention to her actually did. Now she's just got to figure out if he's pleased with her performance or not.

"Oh, just about done reading it, but I've got some thoughts on parts I don't want included in whatever I end up signing."

"Your friend here anything like you?" she sees Stark eye her pouting idiot and laughs as she gives him the coffee, pointing out the milk and sugar said pouting idiot insists on destroying the coffee with.

"No thanks, I'm not suicidal," James butts in, and alright so he is clearly sulking and it's her responsibility to fix that. Why is she friends with him again?

"Ignore Jiminy over there, he's an excellent conscience and I couldn't have done any of it without him."

"Jiminy Cricket? Really? You want to give me a superhero nickname that equates with a voice of reason?" 

"You're my voice of reason," she's quick to point out with a shrug, attempting to make it seem like less of a deal than it is. James is her best friend, maybe even her only friend, in this life. She's gone a little insane in it, but she's still as sane as a person should be. "You stopped me from getting a cape, remember?"

"You think not having a cape is reasonable?" Stark looks like he's pondering his life choices already and it's not going to get any better. She might need to be a little more careful, but then again, she's fully aware that there are more than one Universe out there and always willing to use it to stay ahead.

"Sure, there's too big of a chance that it'll get caught in something. It's like asking your enemies to grab it and strangle you with it and no matter what Jiminy says, I am not suicidal. I guess aesthetically it could be pleasing for some, but they'd have to be good enough to not have it used against them, and I'm really not," plus, it wouldn't really fit her style. She's more of a fight in whatever she happens to be wearing at the time, no special uniform needed.

"Interesting," she's thinking not, with that tone, but she's not really going to point it out since he's speaking again. "How'd you like a job? And your voice of reason, too."


End file.
